Britain U-turns over energy-saving publicity drive; Legal challenge over Finnish climate inaction

Britain on Monday unveiled an energy-saving campaign to encourage lower consumption this winter -- a policy U-turn -- and increased financial help for home insulation.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government announced the publicity blitz just two months after his short-lived predecessor, Liz Truss, ruled out such a move and ran into immediate criticism from opposition politicians and the green lobby.

The government is already partially subsidising rocketing electricity and gas bills after prices soared following the invasion of Ukraine by key fossil fuel producer Russia.

The publicity drive, costing 18 million pounds ($22 million), will "demonstrate how consumers can make significant savings", the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said.

Advice will include measures such as lowering the temperature on boiler water heating systems, turning down radiators in unoccupied rooms and installing draught proofing on windows and doors.

"Our new public information campaign will also give people the tools they need to reduce their energy use while keeping warm this winter," added Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps.

The government pledged another 1.0 billion pounds in funds to help with home insulation. That will be on top of its existing 6.6-billion pound insulation help scheme.

The main opposition Labour party however criticised Monday's news as a "reheated announcement with no new resources" that was "far too little, too late".

Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Georgia Whitaker also warned the funding was not nearly enough.

"This is a drop in the ocean compared to what people actually need to stay warm and well this winter and in the winters to come," Whitaker said.

Seven million households in Britain are currently in fuel poverty and unable to adequately heat their homes, according to the green pressure group.

Greenpeace also estimates that 19 million homes in England and Wales are poorly insulated.

Truss's administration had insisted it would not give instructions on saving energy because she wanted to avoid accusations of running a "nanny state".

Energy regulator Ofgem, however, has urged consumers to curb their energy usage as the colder northern hemisphere winter approaches, amid lingering fears of possible blackouts.

Activists file legal challenge over Finnish climate inaction
Helsinki (AFP) Nov 28, 2022 - Environmental organisations in Finland on Monday filed a legal challenge accusing the government of breaking its own commitments to protect the climate, the first challenge of its kind in the country.

In July, Finland passed the Climate Change Act, which aims to make the country carbon-neutral by 2035.

But the environmental groups say the government had ignored its own laws by failing to protect the Nordic nation's carbon sinks.

Carbon sinks are natural systems, such as forests, that absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it in, for example, vegetation and soil.

"The government has violated its own Climate Change Act by not taking a decision on additional measures to meet Finland's climate targets," Hanna Aho, Policy Officer for the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC), told AFP.

"As a result, it seems very unlikely that climate targets will be met," Aho said.

The FANC and Greenpeace, which jointly mounted the legal challenge, say carbon sinks in Finland have "collapsed" due to an increase in logging and to slower tree growth.

The most recent chance for the government to address the issue was its Annual Climate Report in October but that still lacked the necessary "assessment on measures to protect the sinks", Aho said.

"Logging has not been restricted, even though it is known to be the most important factor affecting the size of carbon sinks," she added.

The organisations petitioned the country's Supreme Administrative Court to overrule the government's decision to submit the report without "additional measures to enhance carbon sinks".

The groups said the report should be sent back to the drawing board because it was not in line with the Climate Change Act.

"Prime Minister Sanna Marin's government's inaction is in stark contrast to the obligations of the Climate Change Act," Aho said.

It will be up to the court to decide whether or not to hear the case.

In recent years, Finland has struggled to balance its climate ambitions with its forestry industry, which is an important part of its economy.

In 2020, Finnish foresty product exports were worth 10.4 billion euros, amounting to 18 percent of the country's total exports.

A growing number of organisations and individuals around the world have turned to the courts to challenge what they see as government inaction on the climate.

More than 600 activists in neighbouring Sweden, including Greta Thunberg, filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing the state of climate inaction, also a first in the country.

Ukraine battles to restore power after latest Russian barrage
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Nov 24, 2022
Ukraine struggled Thursday to repair its battered power and water services after Russia targeted the electricity grid with dozens of cruise missiles and temperatures plunged. The Ukrainian energy system is on the brink of collapse and millions have been subjected to emergency blackouts for weeks due to systematic Russian bombardments of the grid. The World Health Organisation has warned of "life-threatening" consequences and estimated that millions could leave their homes as a result. Mayor ... read more